Marching for Science Internationally
Elizabeth Redden, Inside Higher Ed, 2017/04/21

Let's do this thing. "We want to speak out against the muzzling of government scientists, we want to advocate for evidence-based policy making, we want to see better and more inclusive STEM education. We also want to send a message that science is not and must not be mischaracterized as partisan.” My science is not based on my political views. My political views are based on my science.

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Novel initiative Teach Out: Fake news detecting
Inge de Waard, Ignatia Webs, 2017/04/21

A 'teach out' is a lot like a MOOC except that it is a lot shorter and more concentrated. It is (quoted):

• an event – it takes place over a fixed, short period of time
• an opportunity – it is open for free participation to everyone around the world
• a community – it will be joined by a large number of diverse individuals
• a conversation – an opportunity to give and take ideas and information from people

"What is really interesting is the philosophy behind the teach out, and the history behind the teach out events." It reminds me of the 'teach ins' from my activist days. With any luck, Pepsi won;t turn it into a commercial, and learning companies won't turn it into a product.

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xAPI Profiles
Data Interoperability Standards Consortium, 2017/04/21

Background information and updates on the xAPI profiles project. Follow the orientation link to the background document on Google Docs. "The Experience API (xAPI) Profiles Specification is a technical document that aims to improve practices for creating Profiles as defined in the xAPI Specification. The xAPI Profiles Specification lays out a structure that describes profiles uniformly, describes how profiles can be discovered and reused, and how profiles can be published and managed."

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The metamorphosis of the OLPC programme
Gitura Mwaura, The New Times, 2017/04/21

This is an account of how the One Laptop Per Child evolved over time in Rwanda. "Rwandan government’s partnership with Microsoft to roll out digital education has re-energised the debate by local and international observers on the progress of technology-enabled learning in the country."

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MOOCs Started Out Completely Free. Where Are They Now?
Dhawal Shah, EdSurge, 2017/04/21

It really is a sad story. "The fact that MOOCs were free sparked widespread interest in them... But once the hype died down and MOOC providers tried to monetize, they found it difficult to do so without charging for content... Every MOOC provider has expanded their product lines to target multiple price points from tens of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars." That's why I become unhappy when the venture capitalists get involved and when a provider of 'free' learning starts to hive off bits and pieces of 'premium' services.

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